Salaam Mumbai

Wednesday the 21st September 2005

Ok. I am here in India. Somehow it doesn’t feel that weird yet. I guess that is because I may have not been out on the street enough. It was an amazing day. I have not slept for a long time, but when has that never bothered me when I have had fun.

I have quite an audience seated around me in the surprisingly small flat (for me) but comfortable enough once you get used to it. Mustafa, the youngest, barely coming up to my elbow when I sit down is the closest to me now. He is about to turn 5 in November and is the most mischievous of the two. Amazing with the computer. He can go to any game on it and knows quite a lot. He is also quite a talker. Once he gets going, there is very little chance to get away. Bhen tried to warn me, but I have no problem indulging him cause he is quite sweet. Right now he is staring at the screen as I type fascinated with my speed and singing along to Billy Joel’s for the longest time Is quite fascinated with my MP3 gadget and asking about how it works etc. He is amazingly proficient with the computer too for a kid his age.

I have not spent too much time yet with my sis’s eldest…Murtaza. He got back from school at 3.00 quite a dirty fella. Washed and ate. Now is studying geography and hitting the ground with his pencil in what I think is abject misery at having to do homework with a little bit of frustration included.

Well anyway highlights so far:

• Left home at 1.00 to reach airport in an hour. Surprise was that a new x-ray machine meant that the days of digging into everyone’s luggage is over. The other surprise was seeing Aneek and Gehan (from Jetwing) there. Talked to them and was told that Gehan and his team were visiting Corbets nature reserve on work. Lucky buggers. One of the experts on his team learnt that I was going in to visit Mumbai, told me that there was some nice bird watching to be done. I totally misunderstood the context of the question, but luckily did not give myself away embarrassingly.
• The plane to Chennai was flying 12 km above the earth (and the temperature outside was -53 degree Celsius. This is a Boeing 737. The altitude is about 39,000 feet above sea level. Food Sucks (kesar pista health juice…Uck and putrid and vomit tasting….
• The safety demo makes you realize who truly fragile and vulnerable you are flying so high up there in the sky where your body was not really meant to go.
• The excitement has begun. I know from the gasps and frozen smile I found on my face as it was pasted against the window as the plane taxied onto the runway and exploded or forced itself to defy gravity.
• Where’s the in flight bloody entertainment? For a small moment, the view outside (against what you’d normally expect) was bloody stunning.. The lights down there were more amazing than the stars in the sky. I must regrettably admit.
• Pilot announces over the intercom “…we have just departed from Colombo and hope to be in Chennai” @!^$!@#!!!!
• 1st impression of Chennai airport is quite good. Clean and tiled. A bit clinical though. Lots of advertising space unutilized. Lovely temple on a hill very close to the airport. Checking out and collecting baggage was a breeze.
• Do not underestimate Indians. Even though they look like washerwomen (no offense to the Indians me included reading this, I have come to no better) they are well educated and killer smart.
• The landing was also awesome. The spotting of the mainland, the lights on the roads, the hills etc.
• The beach is 25 km away and town is about the same distance on the opposite side.
  At first sight, the people look the same here. The road outside was peaceful being so early in the morn. Saw people sleeping on the pavement on the bare floor with nothing even for their heads. Many Indian cars and taxis, all calling out to me offering their services.
• With my baggage have to walk 200 mtrs to the domestic terminal to get the flight to Mumbai 5 hours away. Luckily the bhora uncle from Colombo was with me and after some time I ditched him, keeping him in charge of the bags while I went for a walk. At the entrance the airport off the main high way a copped hammered a trishaw guy who had either offended him or someone in the road and for pushing the trishaw from the middle f the road. So bad they are no. Huge hoarding but hardly worth a second glance for content. Saw the sun rising from being the railway lines. It was great.
• Why do my sentences always begin in broken Hindi and end in Sinhala. It’s weird. Why not English. Why always Sinhala. Is it something to do with both languages having the same root of Sanskrit. The nearest food joint it about a km away, so wasted under hearings, people getting up and cooking food on the pavement. No one wears bike helmets. Ate hot bhajiva and paid 2.50. My first Indian indulgence and Indian expense. Came to Minambakhan station. Very like Sri Lankan stations in architecture, layout and everything really. Kids coming out of slum area and shitting. Almost on the payment. Obviously on some days they use the left side and on others, they would use the right side, Man squatting in drain and shitting every other hoarding uses a celebrity.
• Idea…U should do a guess the celebrity and show a small bit of it as a promotion.
  Inside, walked about the airport. The upstairs isn’t done a 100 %. Sat in the restaurant and viewing gallery for a while. Tried the doors to the restricted areas that would take me o the roof, but the final door was locked.
• At 8.15 x-rayed bags and got them checked in. At the final baggage check they spotted my pen knife, asked me to put it into my hand lugged. Had to go back cuz in runnig up and down, I had lost my hand luggage tag.
• Since the Mumbai flight was a small one I gues,s they had got us a small 50 odd sweater place. The propeller was at the back near the tail. Got the wing set again, b ut this time I got up and walked around from seat to seat, cuz the first part was amazing.
• Flat land, then intersperced with small hills and single mountains, small ranges and waterways. Then came to an area of many rivers and a really large range with big looking Grand Canyon style canyons. Was told that they might be the Nandi hills. Then after a bit the cloud cover was too thick to see anything. Can also see lots of cities and villages dotted with lroads speeding around them.
• Flying 850 km per hour. Will take the 1 hr and 50 min flight and 10 min more for a final check up I guess. The wing was leaking or over flooing fuels. Cuz of technical problems the last 2 days have been grounded and this was the fist in a while.
• Landing was a breeze. There was no checking out and the only slow down was waiting for the bags. Bhen and Huzi and mustu had come in their tiny maruti.
• The approach saw us flying over some bad slums. The areas are like that apparently.
• Driving was quite shocking. Pope honking and crossing the roads at random. They showed me the Dhaga…the largest slum area. Not a nice sight to see as a tourist must say. But to me it was all wonderful and amazing. Something knew to see at every glance.
  Called Office in the evening. Hung around and unpacked. Had rotti and vege curry with yum Hyderabad specialty mithai.
• In the evening went to Masgoun Park which is built over a reservoir on bhens scooter. Had Bhel puri and roasted Singh.
• Walked up to it, saw the light house, docks etc. Played many tiring running around games with kids. Saw huge frogs and rats.
• Kebabs with naan for dinner. Bhens in laws are in burhanpur so the house was quiet. The channels that are on cable are amazing. But a bit too much. In fact they are a bit off putting.